• Unit 3: Management in the Future

    Not only does the organizational structure need to keep up with changes in the business environment, management practices must also evolve to encompass changes in best practices.  This unit will discuss the future of management including what parts of traditional management should be kept and why modern approaches to management are necessary.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour. 

      • 3.1: The Future of Management

        • The Future of Management URL

          Read this article and think about the management processes currently in place at your own organization (or one you are familiar with). Are there any innovative methods of management at work, or are older, more traditional models in place? How do you feel about gamification in the workplace? Can it be productive, or is it merely a fad? Do you agree that following the best practices of other organizations is no longer a valid management strategy?

        • Management in the Future: The Same as the Past? URL

          Read this article and then think about the other things you've read in this course that have noted that revising traditional management processes is essential to an organization's success. Does that notion contradict the information in this article? Can traditional and innovative models of management truly coexist? Are you more comfortable with traditional models, or are you open to newer approaches?

      • 3.2: The Future of Work

        • The Future of Work URL

          Read this article and consider the following questions: Do you see any signs among today's businesses that support Dr. Malone's prediction of organizations moving toward models that encourage more employee freedom and organizational decentralization? If yes, what are some examples of these signs? Has today's ease of communication allowed your current organization, or one that you are familiar with, to grow globally? Do you believe that employees' current behavior patterns support the future organizational model shift? If so, why? Have you started to see evidence of the three new decentralized organizational structures being implemented within specific organizations? If yes, what are some examples?